Gary Bettman sheds light on why Maple Leafs could not sign Joel Quenneville

Quenneville, of course, resigned from his last NHL job with the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season. He has since effectively been suspended by the league, unable to sign with any team.

Gary Bettman was asked about Quenneville's status during his state of the league address yesterday. The commissioner confirmed that both Quenneville and former Blackhawks gm Stan Bowman remain ineligible to sign with NHL teams.

That being said, Bettman also revealed that both Bowman and Quenneville have since sought reenlistment from the league. However, he admitted that he still has a lot to consider before he comes to a conclusion for either of them.

Of course, this means that Leafs were not able to sign Quenneville this summer even though there may very well have been interest from the team. Instead, they chose to settle for Stanley Cup champion head coach Craig Berube. It would seem then, that there is a good chance that Quenneville may never return to the NHL. If Bettman has not found a reason to reinstate the coach by now, he likely never will.

Source: MapleLeafsDaily
Gary Bettman reveals why he didn't give Leafs permission to hire Quenneville